It's not every day you get the chance to join the army and walk straight into battle the following afternoon.

But that was what happened as I took up an invitation to watch Territorial Army soldiers from Keighley take part in a two-week military manoeuvre in Scotland called Exercise Migrant Merlin.

The camp had been organised in conjunction with the Czech Republic, which sent 200 conscript troops to Scotland from the 42nd Mechanised Battalion, based in Tabor, 90 kms from Prague. During my three days north of the border I would be watching the nine members of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, based at the detachment in Keighley, join soldiers from the Czech Republic and all corners of Yorkshire.

With my only military experience equating to a game of paintball on a stag weekend and fitness levels on a par with Bernard Manning, I boarded the train from Leeds with a definite sense of apprehension.

After a five-hour journey along the east coast I am met by a soldier at Perth Station and from there it is a 45-minute drive to camp Cultybraggan, which will be my home for the rest of the week.

On first appearance the former Second World War PoW camp has a surreal air -- its uniform rows of corrugated Nissen huts surrounded on all sides by the breathtaking hills and mountains. Exercise Migrant Merlin is the first major infantry concentration held by 15 (North East) Brigade since the Government's Strategic Defence Review 18 months ago.

This effectively merged the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment and the Light Infantry under one new title, the East and West Riding Regiment.

Also taking part in the exercise are the Tyne Tees Regiment, which is stationed at Gaerloch Head, near Glasgow, and the 4th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, from Pudsey, which is based on the Isle of Skye.

For the first week soldiers engage in unit level and support weapons training to hone skills that will be put to the test in the second week, when they take part in an exercise based on a peace support scenario similar to what soldiers might encounter in the Balkans.

I meet up with the Keighley lads the next day in a dense area of forest where Exercise Highland Tyke is in full flow.

They are battling against fellow TA soldiers who have taken on the mantle of fictitious terrorist group the Aberfeldy Picts.

Second in command Major Richard Booker explains that each of the three companies on the exercise will make a recce of the area the night before they plan their attack on the enemy stronghold.

Watching the ensuing battle unfold from behind a derelict barn, there is an incredible sense of realism that is only shattered by the presence of two Portaloos and umpires on the field of battle who tell dead soldiers to go back to the position where they've been shot.

After the adrenalin rush of battle, the Keighley lads take a well-deserved breather and Captain Thierry Brearley, who leads the Keighley detachment, gives his assessment of the exercise. "It's gone really well, the lads have enjoyed it and they have used plenty of MFV (the meaning of which is unrepeatable in a family newspaper) to attack the enemy."

Private Mark Short, a 20-year-old paint sprayer from Oakworth, adds: "The final section of the exercise was the best part and I managed to take out two GPMG (general purpose machine gunners)."

In the forests of Scotland the soldiers seem far removed from any kind of hostility, but for commanding officer Lt Col George Kilburn, this kind of training is essential preparation for when they are placed in a real life or death situation.

"Soldiers from the TA have been posted to countries such as Kosovo, Somalia and Northern Ireland, so the lessons they learn here are vital because in a war zone they might not get a second chance."

To round the day off on a bizarre note, an irate Scottish Nationalist accuses the soldiers of using live ammunition in the area, something that draws looks as blank as the bullets that have just been fired.

The following day and the roles are reversed, with TA soldiers defending a position and Czech soldiers attacking.

The rattle of the AK47 automatic weapons used by the Czech army brings mixed emotions for padre, the Rev Canon Keith Punshon, who remembers the noise from a time when the Czech's were the enemy.

After their exertions in the field, the Duke of Wellington soldiers have a chance to relax the next day with a choice of outdoor venture pursuits, including canoeing, rock climbing, abseiling, fishing and walking. I join a group of the Keighley lads for a morning of clay pigeon shooting, which soon turns into a crunch match between the Keighley and Barnsley detachments.

"Activities like this help to break up the exercises and allow the lads to let off a bit of steam after being out in the field." says Captain Thierry Brearley. He adds: "Soldiers from the Duke of Wellington's Regiment have been to other camps in Cyprus and USA and one of our majors, Jeremy Hughes, has just gone to Latvia to help out in training troops as part of a Nato exercise."

Capt Brearley also talks of a sponsored stretcher race the company is doing in memory of promising 18-year-old recruit Zaheer Haider, from Riddlesden, who died in January after collapsing without warning.

"We are doing the race through the centre of Keighley, Skipton and Halifax, on December 2, and we are hoping to collect as much money as possible for Airedale Hospital's Children's Ward."

To round off my stay at Cultybraggan I'm taken by Captain Andy Cole to watch a group of new recruits being put through their paces on a gruelling march which they have to complete carrying 100lb back packs. He says: "We do a lot of recruiting in Yorkshire and the North East and our training programme is recognised as one of the best in the country."

With many people working longer hours, it is a real testament to the dedication of TA soldiers that they still muster enough energy and enthusiasm for an exercise like this.

l The Duke of Wellington's Regiment meets in the Drill Hall, in Lawkholme Lane, Keighley, on Tuesdays, at 7pm.